I love Terry's observation that PBL isn't always linear even if the graphic suggests it is, though I've seen some project launch presentations from project management offices that look a lot like this. There is a recursive nature to any project-based effort, whether it's learning and doing in the classroom or learning and doing in the work place.

"In the June 2010 Harvard Business Review, Dan Ariely, a professor of psychology and behavioral economics at Duke University, wrote a column entitled 'You Are What You Measure.' In it, he thoughtfully prods business leaders to consider the problematic correlation between the tools for measuring progress and actual organizational progress. 'Human beings,' writes Ariely, 'will adjust behavior based on the metrics they're held against. What you measure is what you'll get.' In short, assessments drive outcomes, but these outcomes may not be optimal in either the short or long run. Teachers and schools assess what they value in the learning experience. There is a growing awareness in independent and public schools, however, that the skills that have been — and, in some cases, are still being — assessed are not the skills that will optimize our students' ability to be successful in the 21st-century global economy." | by William Taylor

We received a lot of questions from our students about "Black Friday" this fall. It seems the play up to the annual start of the holiday shopping frenzy grows earlier with each passing year. If your students are like ours, many did not understand the hype around this day, how it affects the economy, or for that matter, why it is so important to the bottom line of so many companies.

In November 2011 I was taking one of the first MOOCs from Stanford. At that time, many new MOOCs were being announced and I started Class Central as a way to keep track of them and figure out what I should take next. The website gathers course listings through provider sites, social media, and tips

The Top eLearning Blogs! eLearning Feeds ranks and scores hundreds of Top e-Learning blogs, while helping eLearning oriented readers to answer the question "What’s happening in the e-Learning industry" on a daily basis based on the Top eLearning Blogs. Check out the Top eLearning blogs to stay updated on what people are talking about in the eLearning Industry. If you are the owner of a Top e-Learning blog feel free to submit your Top eLearning Blog’s RSS Feed.

Modularization of Education - I find this to be true in professional development as well. We are training more and more little one technology skill classes than ever before. Instead of training a whole day on how to use the SMART Board - one hour or so training on one or two features of the SMART Board. One or two apps at a time. One or two small compentencies...

For this week's Top Picks List Friday, we're featuring game-making tools for schools. Game development is fun and challenging, energizing classrooms and getting students thinking in new and exciting ways.

Capability building has remained a high strategic priority since we first surveyed executives on organizational capabilities in 2010. Four years later, many companies are using the same approaches to learning and skill development—namely, on-the-job teaching—that were most common in the earlier survey. Yet the responses to our latest survey on the topic1 suggest that organizations, to perform at their best, now focus on a different set of capabilities2 and different groups of employees to develop.

Amid their evolving needs and infrequent use of more novel skill-building approaches (digital or experiential learning methods, for example), executives report notable challenges in their capability-building programs. Among the most pressing are a lack of learning-related metrics and difficulty ensuring the continuous improvement of skills. In the results from organizations that are most effective at capability building,3 however, are some lessons for improvement. Respondents at these companies are much likelier than others to say sustaining capabilities over time and linking learning to company performance are integral parts of their capability-building programs. They typically use more methods than others to develop employee skills, more often say their human-resources functions and businesses co-own learning, more often use metrics to assess the impact of their programs on the business, and in turn report more success at meeting their programs’ targets.

The capabilities that companies need most have evolved, but methods of building those skills have not. A McKinsey survey finds that the most effective companies focus on sustaining skills and linking learning to business performance.

Learn why it is important to stretch your brain, to try new things (and to fail) and to continue to try and improve. Learn about our "Lizard Brain" (also known as the amygdala),an important component of our brain that impacts how we learn, but the learning is related to the time when humans hunted in the wild. This part of the brain holds us back in many ways, and although it once protected us now it tends to hold us back.

What can we do about this? The video explores this and discusses some of the ways we can "dance" with this "Lizard Brain" and move from a fixed mindset to a growth mindset. For more information take the time to watch this video.

Sharing your scoops to your social media accounts is a must to distribute your curated content. Not only will it drive traffic and leads through your content, but it will help show your expertise with your followers.

Integrating your curated content to your website or blog will allow you to increase your website visitors’ engagement, boost SEO and acquire new visitors. By redirecting your social media traffic to your website, Scoop.it will also help you generate more qualified traffic and leads from your curation work.

Distributing your curated content through a newsletter is a great way to nurture and engage your email subscribers will developing your traffic and visibility.
Creating engaging newsletters with your curated content is really easy.